3,000 cops with medical backgrounds to help hospitals

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has mobilized around 3,000 police officers with medical background for deployment in Metro Manila to help healthcare frontliners in hospitals that are swamped with coronavirus patients, PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa said yesterday.

Gamboa said the police officers are assigned in various units across the country and are ready to augment hospitals in Metro Manila that are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 patients.

“We are national in scope and anytime we can pull them out and let them work anywhere, we are open to that,” Gamboa told radio dzBB.

The police officers have degrees in medical-related courses such as nursing, medical technology and radiology.

Gamboa earlier said the policemen would undergo reorientation for one week before they are deployed in hospitals.

This is in response to President Duterte’s directive to augment hospitals full with COVID-19 patients.

Gamboa also touted the capabilities of their personnel in helping the government’s contact tracing efforts to locate COVID-19 patients and their close contacts.

According to Gamboa, policemen have cognitive investigative skills unlike other individuals which can help elicit information from people infected with COVID-19.

He said police officers have a way of asking questions that would help a subject remember events and the people he had close contact with.

Gamboa clarified it is different from interrogating a suspected criminal to ferret out information.